Vanilla Twilight
by X-Emerald Phoenix-x
Summary: What happens when Ino realizes how Sai really is? How will Sai react? Ino x Sai pairing, inspired by the song Vanilla Twilight by Owl City.


Disclaimer: Song lyrics belong to Owl City. Also, Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I just borrowed them for a small story xD.

* * *

I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe it. I can't believe I bought the whole story. His feelings for me. His compliments.

In the back of my brain there was always that suspicion. The slight suspicion that Sakura's words were true. That this guy I had fallen so hard for was all fake. That he had no feelings. But I could not believe them. No, wait, that's not true. I could, but I didn't WANT to.

So here I was, with my heart split into a million parts. It had never hurt this badly before; not when Sasuke left, and not when Shikamaru was obviously falling for Gaara's sister. Those had been childish crushes, of a little girl who still did not understand what love meant.

This time it was different. I was no longer a child. I was not even a teenager, with hormones interrupting my judgment. I had grown up, and I had purposefully and completely fallen in love with this guy. And the me who thought herself so wise because of knowing love now feels like an idiot for not knowing what it felt like to have your hear broken. Of course, now I knew better.

Facing him, not caring about the way he towered over me, or the way his dark eyes looked soft and caring. It was all a lie anyways.

"How could you?" I demanded to know.

"I never meant to hurt you. I just had never had a girl like me before. I wanted to see if it worked like in my books." He responded.

"So I was just your little experiment, all of this time?" I asked, my voice starting to rise in pitch.

"I never meant to hurt you." He repeated.

"What did you think was going to happen? That I would be just fine to be used as your little guinea pig?"

"I never meant to hurt you." He said, once AGAIN.

I grinded my teeth, frustrated, spun around and started to storm off; but then I heard,

"Ino. I'm sorry. I really am." He said.

I stopped and looked back. Was there any change in him? I didn't know. How could I tell anymore? But as he looked into my eyes, I believed him. That belief pushed me to do something I had never planned to do.

I kissed him.

I kissed him, and all of my feelings overwhelmed me, tears started to pour out. I couldn't stay here anymore!

"Good-bye, Sai." Were the last words I ever wanted to say to him.

---------------- o -----------------

I just stood here and watched her go. I knew I probably should say something, but I didn't know what she said. My lips were still warm from her kiss just a little while ago. Why would she do that and then leave? Weren't kisses supposed to mean you wanted to be with someone? Did she still want to be with me? I could not understand what she wanted to say, so I just let her go.

I looked into the water below the bridge. It was weird. When I first met her, I only called her beautiful because I had figured out by then that girls liked to be lied to. Then, why was it that, instead of the water and the colors, all I could see was her face?

"_I'll watch the night turn light blue, but it's not the same without you"_

I started walking through the city. In every street there seemed to be a couple holding hands. _Was it always like this_? I felt a strange feeling in my chest. _Am I sick?_

I walked all the way to the hospital.

"Sakura, I don't feel so well" I told her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My chest hurts, and my stomach feels strange." I described.

She checked, but nothing seemed to be wrong. "Are you sure? When did this start?"

"Right after Ino broke up with me" I said.

She stared at me. "…Sai. Have you ever thought that your problem might not be physical? You know, sometimes, when we care about people, what they do can make us feel like we were sick, when we really are not" she said. "Maybe you should go home and think a little bit?"

I did. But evening came and I had nothing. I wasn't even hungry. Sakura had to be wrong. I was definitely sick. I decided to go to sleep.

"_The stars lean down to kiss you and I lie awake and miss you__"_

I could sleep. It seemed my head had decided Sakura was right, and it wanted to think. The problem was that its thinking was pretty much one-directioined: Ino. And every second I thought of her my chest hurt more and more.

"_The silence isn't so bad, 'till I look at my hands and feel sad."_

Of course! It didn't take a genius to figure it out. I had read enough books to identify what I was feeling. I missed her. I really missed her. _Why do I miss her?_ _She's just a girl, isn't she?_

"_Cause I wish you were here__"_

No, she wasn't. She might have been, at some point, but she wasn't anymore. I got out of bed: I had to do something…

--------------------------------o----------------------

"_The stars lean down to kiss you and I lie awake and miss you"_

This was useless. I couldn't sleep. I didn't WANT to sleep. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew closing my eyes was not an option, because my mind went berserk with thoughts of him.

Suddenly, my trained instincts told me someone was getting into my room. I grabbed the Kunai from underneath my pillow and readied to attack.

---------------------------------o---------------------

"_When violet eyes get brighter and heavy wings grow lighter"_

The twilight light made her eyes look violet. I knew they were supposed to be fierce and frightening, but just seeing her made me feel like a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders. _She wasn't just a girl, after all._

"What are you doing here?" she growled.

"…" my mind went blank. What WAS I doing here? Why her?

-------------------o-------------------

I couldn't take it anymore. I was ok with moving on, but I was not going to stand any further humiliation. He could take his little game somewhere else.

"Get out." I ordered.

"I…" he started.

"What?" I asked, with little patience.

"I miss you." He said.

I could not believe my ears.

"Why?" I just didn't get him.

"Because when I'm with you I don't feel so alone. When I'm with you I feel like I belong somewhere. I can't say I love you, but I care. I missed you when you left, Ino. I had never missed a person in my life since my brother died."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because I didn't know then. But I know now. Don't leave, Ino, please."

His tone was not desperate, or sorry, or romantic; but I never expected that of him. He had already broken all my lifetime expectations of him with just one word today.

"Please." He took my hand in his.

"_'Cause the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly"_

I closed off the space between us.

"No more lies. Ever. Even if you think I won't like it."

He nodded, and for the first time ever, he started the hug. It was awkward, and clumsy. But it was from him, by his own will.

"Sai?"

"Hn?"

"When I'm with you, I don't feel so alone, either."

I felt him smile into my hair.


End file.
